Plastic milk bottle



Oct. 13, 1964 3,152,710

R. L. PLATTE PLASTIC MILK BOTTLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 25, 1964llll I INVENTOR. R/CHARD L. PLATTE Oct. 13, 1964 R. L. PLATTE 3,152,710

PLASTIC MILK'BOTTLE Filed March 25, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.R/CHARD L. PLA 77E United States Patent O 3,152,710 PLASTIC MILK BOTTLERichard L. Platte, Ann Arbor, Mich., assignor to Hoover Ball and BearingCompany, Saline, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Mar. 25, 1964,Ser. No. 354,578 6 Claims. (Cl. 215-1) This invention relates generallyto the art of containers and more particularly to an improved blowmolded plastic milk bottle.

A commercially practical plastic milk bottle must possess certaincharacteristics. First, it must be constructed from a minimum amount ofraw material in order to keep the final cost of the bottle within arange in which it can be competitive with milk containers made fromother less expensive raw materials such as paper. Second, it should havesuflicient compressive strength to withstand capping following fillingand to permit stacking of at least two bottles. Third, it must beconstructed so that it can readily be gripped for lifting from a displaycase or a rack and for tipping to pour, and the bottle must be formed sothat when it is gripped for these necessary purposes, the internalvolume of the bottle will not be decreased sufficiently to pump thecontents out the top of the bottle. Fourth, the bottle must be shaped soas to permit firm grasping of the bottle when it is moved so as toeliminate as much as possible the danger of dropping the bottle when itis being manipulated for transport or pouring.

It is an object of this invention therefore to provide 7 an improvedblow molded bottle which accomplishes the above desirable objectives andwhich is also constructed so that it can be readily filled anddischarged and can be efliciently arranged in a compact storage space.These and other desirable objects are accomplished in the bottle of thisinvention -by forming the bottle so that it has a generally squareupright body provided with a bottom wall and a bulbous projection at itsupper end shaped so that it cooperates with the body to form a handle orgrip ping area on the bottle which is grasped to lift or tip the bottle.The handle is shaped and positioned so that when it is gripped andsqueezed the internal volume of the bottle is not reduced sufficientlyto force the bottle contents out of the bottle through the usual topopening which may be capped in the conventional manner. The provisionof'such a handle enables the forming of the body side walls, whichconstitute the major portion of the bottle, so that they are very thinthereby reducing the amount of raw material necessary to fabricate thebottle to a practical minimum. In addition, the projection is formed ofan elongate narrow shape so that its ends are above and constituteupward continuations of a pair of diagonally opposite body corners.These corners thus function as columns when the bottle is subjected tocompressive forces thereby enabling the bottle to withstand thecompressive forces to which it may be subjected during capping andstacking. The narrow shape of the projection, which is grasped duringtransport of the bottle, reduces to a minimum any tendency of the bottlecontents to be pumped or squeezed out the top of the bottle when thebottle is grasped. The reduced size of the projection also provides fora top wall of increased thickness on the projection, which constitutesthe top of the bottle so as to provide the bottle with an increasedability to withstand compressive forces. In addition, the projection isundercut shaped to fit in the crotch of an adult human hand, between thethumb and forefinger, so that the projection can be gripped for tippingand lifting and also so that the projection can be grasped between thethumb and finger tips from above for withdrawal from a display orcarrying case.

, 3,152,710 Patented Oct. 13, 1964 "ice Further objects, features andadvantages of this invention will become apparent from a considerationof the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanyingdrawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the milk bottle of thisinvention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the milk bottle of thisinvention;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the upperend portion of the bottle of this invention, looking susbtantially alongthe line 33 in FIG. 2;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the bottle of this invention; and

FIGURES 5, 6, 7 and 8 are horizontal sectional views of the bottle ofthis invention looking substantially along the lines 55, 6-6, 77 and8-8, respectively, in FIG. 2.

With reference to the drawing, the bottle of this invention, indicatedgenerally at 10, is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 as being of a one-pieceplastic construction and having an upright body 12, which is generallysquare in horizontal section, as shown in FIG. 8, and which is providedat its upper end with a bulbous projection 14 which is of an elongatednarrow shape, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The body 12 has side walls 16,18, 20 and 22 which are relatively thin and is formed \m'th roundedcorners 24, 26, 28 and 30. A bottom wall 32 for the bottle 10 isintegral with the side walls 16, 18, 20 and 22.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the projection 14 is substantiallysymmetrical with respect to a vertical plane A ,which extends throughdiagonally opposite corners 26 and 30 of the body 12. The projection 14has elongated side walls 34 and 36 disposed on opposite sides of theplane A and shorter end walls 38 and 40 which extend between the ends ofthe side walls 34 and 36 and are substantially bisected by the plane A.As shown in FIG. 5, the projection 14 is somewhat egg shaped in that itis narrowest at its end wall 38. In other words, the side walls 34 and36 converge in the direction of the end wall 38, for a purpose to appearpresently. The side walls 34 and 36 are also bowed inwardly in verticalplanes toward each other as shown in FIG. 5 so that they extend inwardlyunder the projection top wall 42, also for a purpose to appearpresently. A neck 44 formed integral with the top wall 42 extendsupwardly therefrom and is shaped so that a milk bottle top (not shown)can be applied thereto. The neck 44 surrounds an opening 46 in the topwall 42 through which the bottle 10 is filled and through which thebottle contents are discharged.

As shown in FIG. 2, the end wall 40 of the projection 14 is also bowedinwardly in a vertical plane and is joined to the corner 30 of the body12 by a downwardly and and outwardly sloping surface 48. As a result,the projection side walls 34 and 36, the end wall 40 and the surface 48cooperate to function as a handle for the bottle 10 which is readilygrasped for lifting and tipping by gripping the side walls 34 and 36 ofthe projection 14 between the thumb and forefinger so that the end wall40 is engaged with the crotch of the grasping hand between the thumb andforefinger and so that the heel of the hand engages the surface 48.Because the side walls 34 and 36 converge in the indirection of the endwall 38 and pro ject inwardly under the top wall 42, the projection 14can be tightly gripped in this manner to facilitate tipping and liftingof the bottle 10. Also, the bottle 10 can be readily lifted by grippingthe downwardly converging portions of the projection side walls 34 and36 with the thumb and finger tips, since these side wall portionsprovide downwardly facing surfaces which can readily be gripped forlifting. For example, the bottle 10 can be readily lifted a by grippingit at the points. indicated at B in FIG. 1 with the tips of the thumband fingers.

As shown in FIG. 4, the projection end walls 38 and 40 are substantiallyaligned with the corners 26 and 30 of the body 12. The body corners aresmoothly sloped in an upward direction to join with the end walls 38 and40 so that the corners 26 and 30 function as columns supporting the ends38 and 40 of the projection 14. As a result of the increased moment ofinertia of a body corner, relative to the moment of inertia of a flatside wall, this arrangement of the projection 14 on the body 12 providesthe bottle with increased compression strength when enables it to resistthe forces normally applied to it such as during capping. Also, thiscompressive strength of the bottle 10 enables it to be dropped onto itsbottom wall 32 without it collapsing. This compressive strength isfurther enhanced by the formation of small upwardly curving ribs 50 inthe side walls 16 and 22 on opposite sides of the corner 30, andupwardly converging curved ribs 51 which extend upwardly from the upperends of the corners 24- and 28.

It can thus be seen that the side walls 16 and 18 are sloped upwardlyand smoothly joined with the projection side wall 34 by forming aportion of the bottle, adjacent the juncture of the body 12 and theprojection 14 with a curved wall section 52. A similarly curved Wallsection 54 on the diagonally opposite side of the bottle smoothly joinsthe side walls 20 and 22 to the projection side wall 36.

In the use of the bottle 10, it is filled through the opening 46 and iscapped in the conventional manner. By virtue of its substantially squareshape in horizontal section, a number of bottles 10 can be compactlyarranged in a carrying or display case or stored in a compact area.Also, two or more bottles can be readily stacked one on top the other.To pour liquid from the bottle 10, the user positions the side of histhumb against the projection side wall 36 and positions the side of hisforefinger against the projection wall 34 so that the crotch of his handis engaged with the inwardly bowed end wall 40. This position of theusers hand positions the heel of his hand along the upwardly curved bodysurface 48 so that the bottle 10 is firmly grasped for controlledpouring. The inwardly converging arrangement of the walls 34 and 36, ina direction toward the end wall 38 enables the user to firmly urge theterminal ends of his thumb and forefinger toward each other to preventthe bottle 10 from slipping out of his hand. As best appears in FIGS. 3and 5, the projection side walls 34 and 36 are much thicker than thebody side walls 18 and 22. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the top wall 42 isof increased thickness relative to the side walls of the body 12. As aresult, firm grasping of the projection 14 has very little tendency tosqueeze the liquid contents of the bottle 10 out the top opening 46.This is because the increased thickness of the projection walls 34 and36 resists collapse of the projection 14 sufficient to reduce theinternal volume of the bottle 10 enough to force liquid out the topopening 46. Furthermore, because the projection 14 is of a reduced sizein horizontal section relative to the body 12, it is diflicult to reducethe internal volume of the bottle 10 by deforming the reduced sizeprojection 14.

When the bottle 10 is to be lifted, for example, from a display case, itis readily grasped at the points indicated at B in FIG. 1 with the thumband finger tips so as to readily lift it from the case. It can thus beseen that the bottle 10, by virtue of its construction with the integralbody 12 and bulbous projection 14 is readily adapted for conventionaluse as a milk bottle. By virtue of this construction, the bottle 10 isreadily manufactured in large quantities by blow molding it fromsuitable plastics such as polyethylene or polypropylene which providefrost colored plastic bottles. It has been found that frost coloredplastic bottles of this construction enhance the appearance of theirliquid contents, especially milk.

Furthermore, by constructing the bottle as shown and described above, sothat it can withstand the necessary compressive forces when it iscapped, dropped, lifted or tipped, it can be economically formed from aminimum of raw material. In other words, the side walls 16, 18, 20 and22 form the major portion of the bottle 10, and the forming of thesewalls so that they are very thin enables production of the bottle 10from an economically feasible amount of plastic. For example, a bottlewith a capacity of 64 ounces can be formed from 50 grams of plastic. Insuch a bottle, the side walls 16, 18, 20 and 22 which are not of acompletely uniform thickness, are generally in the range of 0.014 to0.020 inch thick, the bottom wall 32 is approximately 0.050 inch thickand the projection side, top, and end walls which are also not of thesame thickness at all points, are of a thickness in the range of .036 to.050 inch.

It will be understood that the milk bottle which is herein disclosed anddescribed is presented for purposes of explanation and illustration andis not intended to indicate limits of the invention, the scope of whichis defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A one-piece plastic bottle for liquid comprising an upright hollowplastic body having side Walls and a bottom wall, a bulbous non-circularprojection on the upper end of said body having a top wall and spacedside walls which extend downwardly and inwardly from said top wall andthence outwardly to join said body side walls, said projection havingend walls spaced further apart than said side walls and being elongatedand relatively narrow with respect to the width of said body in agenerally horizontal plane, said projection side walls having a pair ofportions whichare horizontally spaced a distance apart such that theycan be gripped between the thumb and forefinger of an adult human handfor lifting and tipping of said bottle, and a neck integral with andextending upwardly from said projection top wall intermediate said endwalls.

2. A one-piece plastic bottle for liquid comprising an upright hollowplastic body having thin side walls and a bottom wall, an integralnon-circular bulbous projection on the upper end of said body of reducedsize relative to the size of said body and of increased wall strengthrelative to the wall strength of said body, said projection having a topwall and side walls which are thicker than said body side walls, saidside walls being spaced closer together than opposite ones of said bodyside walls and extending downwardly and inwardly toward each other fromsaid projection top wall, said projection being elongated and relativelynarrow with respect to the width of said body in a generally horizontalplane, and said projection side walls being horizontally spaced adistance apart such that they can be gripped between the thumb andforefinger of an adult human hand for lifting and tipping of saidbottle.

3. A one-piece plastic bottle for liquid comprising an upright hollowplastic body having thin side walls and a bottom wall, an integralnon-circular bulbous projection on the upper end of said body having anupwardly convex top wall and side walls which extend downwardly fromsaid top wall and are bowed inwardly toward each other in a verticalplane said top Wall being of a substantially longer length measured in agenerally horizontal direction than the length of said projection sidewalls measured in a generally vertical direction, said projection havingend walls one of which is bowed inwardly underneath said top wall, saidprojection side walls being arranged in a relatively converging relationin a direction from said one end wall toward the other end wall, saidprojection being elongated and relatively narrow with respect to thewidth of said body in a generally horizontal plane, and said projectionside walls being horizontally spaced a distance apart such that they canbe gripped between the thumb and forefinger of an adult human hand forlifting and tipping of said bottle.

4. A one-piece plastic bottle for liquid comprising an upright hollowplastic body having thin side walls and a bottom wall, said body beingof a substantially square shape in horizontal cross section, a bulbousprojection on the upper end of said body having a top wall and sidewalls which extend downwardly and inwardly from said top wall and thenceoutwardly to join said body side walls, said projection being elongatedand relatively narrow in a direction extending between said side wallswith respect to the width of said body in a generally horizontal plane,said projection side walls having a pair of portions which arehorizontally spaced a distance apart such that they can be grippedbetween the thumb and forefinger of an adult human hand for lifting andtipping of said bottle, said projection extending horizontally in adirection diagonally of said body and having end walls which intersect avertical plane extending through a pair of diagonally opposite cornersof said body, one of said end walls being disposed horizontally inwardlyfrom one of said diagonally opposite corners so that said body extendsupwardly and inwardly from said one corner to said one end wall toaccommodate the heel of a hand engaged with said projection for liftingand tipping said bottle, and a neck integral with and extending upwardlyfrom said projection top wall.

5. A one-piece plastic bottle comprising an upright hollow body ofsubstantially rectangular shape in horizontal section and having roundedcorners and thin side walls, a bulbous hollow projection on the upperend of said body, said projection being positioned so that it extendshorizontally in a direction substantially diagonally of said body, saidprojection having a pair of end walls and a pair of side walls extendedbetween said end walls and spaced closer together than said end walls,each of said end walls being positioned above one corner of said body,said projection having a top wall which is integral with the side andend walls of said projection, one pair of adjacent body side wallssloping upwardly and inwardly adjacent the upper end of said body andbeing joined to the lower end of one of said projection side walls, theother pair of adjacent body side walls similarly sloping upwardly andinwardly adjacent the upper end of said body and being joined to thelower end of the other one of said projection side walls, a pair of saidbody corners which are below said projection end walls extendingupwardly and being formed integral with said projection end walls, saidprojection walls being thicker than said thin body side walls, and aneck extending upwardly from said projection top wall intermediate theends thereof.

6. A one-piece plastic bottle comprising an upright hollow body ofsubstantially square shape in horizontal section and having roundedcorners and thin side walls, a bulbous hollow substantially horizontallyextending projection on the upper end of said body located so that avertical plane through a pair of diagonally opposite corners of saidbody will pass substantially symmetrically through said projection, saidprojection having a pair of end walls intersected by said plane and apair of nonparallel side walls extended between said end walls andspaced closer together than said end walls and located on opposite sidesof said plane, each of said end walls being positioned above and ingenerally vertical alignment with one corner of said body, saidprojection having a top wall which is convex in an upward direction andis integral with the side and end walls of said projection, said bodyside walls sloping upwardly and inwardly adjacent the upper end of saidbody to join said projection side walls, one of said corners which isbelow said projection end walls extending upwardly and inwardly andbeing formed integral with one of said pro jection end walls, saidprojection walls being thicker than said thin body side walls, saidprojection side walls being bowed inwardly toward said vertical planeand converging in the direction of the other one of said end walls, anda neck extending upwardly from said projection top wall intermediate theends thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A ONE-PIECE PLASTIC BOTTLE FOR LIQUID COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT HOLLOWPLASTIC BODY HAVING SIDE WALLS AND A BOTTOM WALL, A BULBOUS NON-CIRCULARPROJECTION ON THE UPPER END OF SAID BODY HAVING A TOP WALL AND SPACEDSIDE WALLS WHICH EXTEND DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY FROM SAID TOP WALL ANDTHENCE OUTWARDLY TO JOIN SAID BODY SIDE WALLS, SAID PROJECTION HAVINGEND WALLS SPACED FURTHER APART THAN SAID SIDE WALLS AND BEING ELONGATEDAND RELATIVELY NARROW WITH RESPECT TO THE WIDTH OF SAID BODY IN AGENERALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE, SAID PROJECTION SIDE WALLS HAVING A PAIR OFPORTIONS WHICH ARE HORIZONTALLY SPACED A DISTANCE APART SUCH THAT THEYCAN BE GRIPPED BETWEEN THE THUMB AND FOREFINGER OF AN ADULT HUMAN HANDFOR LIFTING AND TIPPING OF SAID BOTTLE, AND A NECK INTEGRAL WITH ANDEXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID PROJECTION TOP WALL INTERMEDIATE SAID ENDWALLS.